Diamonds

Environmental impacts of diamond mining include land degradation, deforestation, and water pollution. Social impacts may include displacement of communities, human rights abuses, and conflict financing in diamond-producing regions. Economic impacts can vary; while diamond mining can bring economic benefits to a region, the revenues may not always benefit local communities or be sustainable in the long term.

A diamond's contents are primarily carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice structure. Trace elements may also be present, influencing the diamond's color.

The "14k" stamp on the inside of a diamond ring indicates that the ring is made of 14 karat gold. The "f" could possibly denote the manufacturer or designer of the ring, but it would be best to consult with a jeweler to get more specific information.

Yes, generally, this is true. Especially when one uses the word 'broken' to connote an accident.

Rarely, however, if a stone has a flaw or weak spot and is hit 'just right' so as to fracture the stone at the weak spot, then you could say that the stone was 'broken'. Generally, stones with this sort of visible flaw is not sold as jewelry by a reputable dealer and would certainly be documented with any certificate the accompanied a stone.

Diamonds are used to cut metals because they are one of the hardest materials on Earth. The carbon atoms in diamond form strong covalent bonds, making it exceptionally resistant to wear. This hardness allows diamonds to effectively cut through metals with precision and efficiency.

Cut and faceted gemstone diamonds reflect the light, which some call shiny.

Raw diamonds are dull rocks. Only 20% are sorted out for processing as gemstones and are cut, graded, and polished into valuable gems.

Eighty percent are industrial diamonds that are used to enhance precision tools.

Palladium is similar in appearance to white gold, but since it does not have nickel as one of its ingredients, palladium is hypoallergenic. Palladium is considered a lightweight metal, similar in weight to 14K gold. Palladium metal can coat a ring or the ring can be "950 palladium," 95% palladium and 5% ruthenium, with possibly other traces of metal.

No, a diamond cannot cut through metal. While diamonds are one of the hardest materials known, they are brittle and could fracture when used to cut through hard metals like steel. Diamond is more commonly used to cut and shape other materials like glass, ceramic, or other diamonds.

No, diamonds are harder than enamel. Diamonds rank as the hardest natural material known, scoring 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, while enamel, the outer layer of teeth, ranges from 5 to 7 on the scale.

Show your diamond to a professional jeweler. They can usually tell you right away whether the diamond in an engagement ring is real or not.

Another way to tell is to breathe hot air onto the diamond to fog it up. If the diamond holds the fog for a few seconds, it's fake. Real diamonds disperse the fog immediately.

Professional testing is by thermal and electrical conductivity measurements, or by optical study of the crystals.

Most diamonds that are mined -- 75% -- are employed by industry, because diamonds are harder than any other known mineral.

Over time, because of the flaws in formation of these stones, they may begin to separate at the weakest points -- the flaws -- so that the implement becomes less sharp and able to perform as expected.

In diamond-tipped hand-tools, this process probably takes several lifetimes, automated machine-driven tools, less time.

A gem-quality diamond without any flaws -- an expensive diamond -- could be melted if you could heat it to 3820 degrees Kelvin or 3546.85 degrees Celsius or 6416.23 degrees Fahrenheit.

Diamond is harder than glass, meaning that it has a higher Mohs hardness scale rating. Consequently, when a glass is used to cut diamond, the glass will simply break or shatter due to the extreme hardness of the diamond. Diamond is the hardest natural material on Earth, while glass is relatively softer compared to diamond.

No, diamonds and graphite are not polymorphs of silicon. Diamonds are a polymorph of carbon, while graphite is also a polymorph of carbon. Silicon does not form diamonds or graphite as polymorphs.

"DBJ" is likely the initials of the person who crafted the piece. It is common for jewelers to use three initials to mark their work.

The number 925 is a bit unusual to see on gold jewelry. Numbers such as 916 or 917 (22-karat gold) and 999 (24-karat gold) are more common.

If the 925 is inside an oval, the ring is more likely to be sterling silver.

It all depends on the quality. A 1 carat A-quality Tanzanite can cost a couple hundred dollars where a AAAA-quality Tanzanite can cost thousands of dollars. The same holds true for diamonds.

A diamond cuts glass by being drug across the surface of the pane of glass according to the desired pattern. Once so scored, the glass technician will use a rubber mallet to tap one side or the other of the score, to separate the glass into the desired shapes and pieces.

A diamond tool is used to cut glass, because diamond is the hardest mineral known.

The UV wavelength becomes visible based on flaws in the carbon lattice structure. As well, once the light is removed, some diamonds emit a phosphorescence that helps identify the exact source of the stone.

According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA):

"Fluorescence is the emission of visible light by a diamond when it is stimulated by invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. It is a common characteristic of diamonds. The diamond simply glows under the UV lights, usually a blue color, which most often stops when the energy source causing it is removed."

One interpretation of how to balance fluorescence and stone colour when valuing a stone is available through the link, below.

The four Cs for diamonds are cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Each C represents a different aspect of a diamond's quality and value. Collectively, these factors help determine the overall beauty and price of a diamond.

Since coal and diamond are both allotropes of carbon, your challenge will be to realign the molecules. The molecular structure of coal is substantially different from the structure of diamond.

The first step could be to heat the coal to a temperature that would melt it. Since coal does not melt, but transforms by sublimation -- changing from solid to gas back to solid with no liquid state involved -- you would be defeated in the first step.

Taking another tact, no amount of pressure will realign the molecules into the diamond pattern that you seek.

Typically, real gold will be stamped with values such as 14k (14 karat), 18k GF (18k gold-filled), etc. The best way to tell; however, is to take the piece to a jeweler who has a gold testing kit or gold testing acids.

Because of its lattice structure, diamond has four directions of perfect cleavage along its crystal orientation plane (e.g. 111, 110, etc.) forming octahedrons.

Fracture is conchoidal, meaning that diamonds are brittle and when they break, the break does not follow any natural plane of separation.